


Love Is Only What You Give Up

by sparkinside (boomersoonerash)



Series: With Or Without You [3]
Category: Hanson (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Not Related, Alternate Universe - Photographer, Brother/Sister Incest, Brothers, Conversations, F/M, Fatherhood, Incest, New York City, Photographer Zac, Photography, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Post-Break Up, Pregnancy, Revelations, Sibling Incest, Sibling Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 01:36:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7781797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomersoonerash/pseuds/sparkinside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zac learns some big truths thanks to a visit from the last person he expected to see at his photography studio.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Is Only What You Give Up

Zac growled to himself as he stood in his studio, looking at pictures and deciding which ones to send in for the magazine that was running an article on his work and yet he was stuck. He was stuck on deciding which ones would be best so he had resorted to growling.

"You know I'm not prey Zachary, you don't have to growl," Kate spoke which made Zac look up and he blushed slightly having forgotten that he had invited Kate to his studio to help him.

Normally he would have invited Avery or even Nikki but neither woman had been in his life for three months now. Both seemingly leaving him on the same day though maybe Avery had sorta left a bit earlier when Zac had pushed her away after finding out that Taylor was most likely going to propose.

But then she had showed up at the apartment he shared with Kate a week later, the day he had chosen to end things with Nikki because he had realized he hadn't loved her and he didn't think it was fair to keep having meaningless sex with her if he didn't love her. Mainly because he felt like he was keeping her stuck. Stuck from finding someone she could truly be happy with and someone she could maybe have a future with.

Zac knew though that Avery who had showed up that day had probably gotten the wrong impression. It had been written all over her face and of course he hadn't corrected her because he was shocked that she had been there as well as a bit bitter because he had thought for sure she had already accepted Taylor's marriage proposal so maybe he had wanted to also be a bit spiteful and let her have the wrong impression.

Though the joke had been on him when before she had left she had told him she hadn't accepted it because she hadn't seen a future with Taylor. That she could have seen it with someone else and Zac wasn't stupid, he knew she had meant him but again he had been shocked so he hadn't went after her and here he was three months later and she was still gone from his life.

Which was probably crazy because in the end he could see a future with her too even if he was constantly traveling. He could see himself marrying her and having babies with her. Coming home from a trip to be greeted by her and their children..three to be exact in his head...three kids that were mini hers and hims and fuck. Things were fucked.

"Sorry," Zac finally spoke up as he came out of his thoughts and gave Kate a smile. "I know you're not prey. I'm just agitated that I can't find the right pictures to send in for this god damn piece. You think it'd be easy but I just hate all my own photographs."

Kate laughed softly as she stood up from her seat and she walked over to Zac, brushing some of the hair that had fallen out of his manbun out of his face, "You'll find the right pictures eventually," she told him and god how much he wanted to believe her but he just wasn't sure he could. "You have another month left to find some," she shrugged as she leaned down to kiss the top of his forehead. 

"I sense a but coming," Zac stated as he looked up at Kate locking eyes with her.

"But I've been here for four hours now and I need caffeine and to check in with my lovely fiancee," Kate smirked as she held up the hand with the ring that Isaac had given her last week. The ring that was now a reminder that soon his roommate of four years would be leaving him behind once she married his eldest brother.

Zac rolled his eyes playfully but nodded his head, "Go get your coffee fix and tell Isaac I said hello."

"Will do," Kate smiled before again leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Don't get yourself too stressed my darling Zachary," she muttered out before turning to leave.

"I'll try not too Kathryn dear," Zac called out after her, watching as she left his studio and once she was out of sight Zac turned back to his pictures, knowing that like she said he had another month but he really wanted to find the pictures now instead of the last possible minute.

Before he could get really invested again though, Zac heard the door of his studio open and he heaved a sigh not even turning to see who had came in.

"Thought you were off getting a caffeine fix and checking in with Isaac, my dear Kathryn."

"I'm not your dear Kathryn," Taylor's voice came out and Zac froze a bit before turning to see his brother, someone else who he had been avoiding because he was afraid if he saw Taylor he'd learn that Avery had finally accepted his proposal and well Zac wanted to stay in the dark on that so he'd deliberately avoided his brother as well as deliberately never asked Isaac or any of his other relatives about Taylor.

"So, what do I owe the visit?" Zac asked as he raised an eyebrow curiously as he watched Taylor walk closer until he sat down in the seat that Kate had once occupied before leaving. "You rarely visit me here at work."

Taylor laughed bitterly at Zac's words, "I rarely visit you ever but then again lately you rarely visit me too and I know you aren't busy," he said like he was reprimanding one of his two children. But Zac was neither Ezra or Willa. "I have to hear about your weekly dinners with Isaac when he comes into my restaurant every Friday to pick up breakfast for the people at his office where he works."

"Of course you do," Zac muttered and he didn't doubt Taylor's words. Isaac was very much capable of babbling and telling all. "You're right though I haven't been busy," he shrugged not even denying it. "Just...I guess some personal issues happened and I just had to distance myself from everyone but Kate and Isaac by default since he is always with Kate."

Taylor paused briefly as if he was considering Zac's words and then he just nodded his head, "Makes sense I guess," he finally said though Zac wasn't sure he was entirely convinced but then again Taylor rarely seemed to believe anything that came out of his mouth.

Probably for good reason too since Zac had been sleeping with Avery behind Taylor's back but then again Avery had been his first so Zac wasn't sure if it was entirely cheating when he had, had her first.

"So since I was honest with you are you going to tell me why you dropped by?" Zac asked as he kept eying Taylor. "I know it wasn't just to grill me on my whereabouts."

"Busted," Taylor laughed as a blush formed on his cheek and Zac was glad to see some things never changed like Taylor's ability to blush so easily. "My girlfriend she's...well she's pregnant," he revealed and the moment those words left Taylor's mouth Zac felt his stomach churn at them.

Avery was pregnant by Taylor and he had come to tell Zac. Probably had told everyone else already and Zac was the last to know and he really really hadn't wanted to know this because well it was a kick to the gut, a new opening to a wound that had never really closed.

"Congratulations," Zac forced the words out of his mouth as well as the smile on his lips.

Taylor once again nodded his head, "Thanks," he spoke before heaving a sigh and Zac couldn't help as he raised an eyebrow because Taylor well, he didn't scream happy new dad.

"Aren't happy about the impending stork arrival?" Zac asked once again forcing himself to seem happy when all he really wanted to do was go lose the last meal he had ate.

"I mean I guess I'm happy for her," Taylor shrugged his shoulders. "But her baby isn't mine Zac," he finally blurted out and Zac was sure then that everything around him had stopped at Taylor's words.

There was no way his brother had just said that Avery's baby wasn't his.

"She just found out about the baby today," Taylor continued in Zac's silence. "Called me up all upset and crying and asked me to come over to he apartment. I thought someone had died but when I get there she tells me she's pregnant..somewhere around three months according to the doctors. Got pregnant the week I proposed but there is no logical way the baby is mine," he frowned as he shook his head and his words sounded sad. "We never had sex that week and even after I proposed and she turned me down..we just..we never did it after because things were just off. She was there physically but it always felt like mentally and emotionally she wasn't really there and I guess I sorta know why now huh? She was cheating..has been cheating the entire time she was with me."

Zac who had remained silent at Taylor's speech, still felt as if everything had stopped around him because fuck if she had gotten pregnant the week he had proposed then that meant...it meant the baby was Zac's. Zac was the one who was going to be a father and fucking hell this wasn't how he had wanted to find out. Not with Taylor telling him probably because he was upset.

Avery should have been the one to tell him she was having a baby. Should have been the one to tell him she was having their baby...they had actually made a baby together and Zac shouldn't have been so shocked.

He had spent every night with her once he had gotten back from Paris and they had, had sex almost every night. Sex that now that he thought back on it had been without a condom on his part but he had gotten so lost in most of those moments that using a condom had slipped his mind and she had never called him on not using one...he had just thought they were okay but obviously well they weren't if she was pregnant with their baby.

"She told you she was cheating the entire time?" Zac asked as he realized he had drifted off into his mind and that Taylor was now giving him an odd look as if he was trying to figure out where Zac had went and what Zac was thinking.

"About as much," Taylor said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Said she had been seeing the guy before me so I'm not sure if it's entirely cheating on me to be honest," he said voicing thoughts Zac himself had, had. "Maybe a bit of cheating on the both of us," he concluded.

Now it was Zac who nodded his head at that because yeah, maybe that's what had happened. "So...what are you going to do?" he asked surprised he even had the ability to ask that because a part of him was sure he didn't want to know. "I mean knowing she's pregnant with another man's baby," he said knowing he had to bite his tongue from inadvertently revealing it was his baby. 

"That's the million dollar question right there," Taylor replied before running a hand through his hair, messing it up worse than what it already was. "I love her..I still love her," he admitted and his words stung Zac but he should have expected that Taylor loved Avery. He had popped the question after all. "She says the man isn't around anymore..that they haven't seen each other since the week she got pregnant and..."

"And you're afraid once he knows about the baby he'll come back," Zac stated as he interrupted Taylor maybe a bit too quickly.

Taylor laughed at Zac's words as if he found them funny, "No," he said through another laugh. "Guy's probably an asshole who will run once he knows about this baby," he continued and again his words stung Zac as well as made him a bit mad. "I was going to say and I really want this baby...think I'm going to ask her to let me raise it with her. She won't even have to contact him to tell him. She can just raise it with me and no one but her and I and you because I came to you will have to know the truth."

Zac just stared at Taylor after his words and he knew he should have probably controlled his emotions but he couldn't help the glare that settled on his face. 

But he shouldn't have been surprised at Taylor's words because they were so Taylor. Taylor already had everything and yet he still wanted more. He had two kids and his own restaurant and the stability that Avery had always talked about wanting with someone and now he fucking wanted the baby that Avery was pregnant with as well.

A baby that was Zac's baby in the end and one he wouldn't just hand to Taylor on a silver platter. It was his baby and he wanted the baby just like he very much wanted the mother of the baby too. Regardless of knowing Taylor was in love with her.

Zac was in love with her too and he had been for far longer than Taylor.

"The guy deserves to know," Zac said finally as he shook his head. "You may want to raise the baby with her but whoever this guy is he deserves to know he is going to be a dad."

"He'll run off once he knows the truth," Taylor stated sounding so sure of his words as he locked eyes with Zac. 

Zac just shook his head because no he wouldn't fucking run off. In fact he would gladly step up once Avery finally told him. He'd be a good dad to that baby regardless of if he was with Avery or not.

"You're just scared," Zac told Taylor as kept the eye contact Taylor had started in the first place. "Scared once this guy knows that you'll lose your girlfriend because he'll want back in her life. That they'll be a family and you won't be a part of that and you'll lose her."

Taylor shook his head at Zac's words, standing from the chair he had been sitting in. "I'm not scared," he spoke as he crossed his arms before looking down at Zac. "I know I'd be a better father than whoever this guy is," he spat out harshly. "I shouldn't have came here," he finally said before uncrossing his arms and turning to walk away from Zac. "You'll never understand where I'm coming from anyway."

"Why wouldn't I understand?" Zac called out after Taylor, watching as his brother stopped in his tracks though he never turned to face him.

"Because you've never been in love with someone Zac," Taylor spoke as his words came out harsh again. "You'll never know how it feels to love someone and have everything shattered because they cheated on or with you and you'll never have to face the possibility of them raising a baby with someone else...which maybe I am scared but I love her and you'll never get that because you'll never have a woman like Avery. You'll just keep having no strings sex with any woman who looks your way. You've been doing it since college," he sighed as he shook his head and after he had finished he continued walking and this time Zac let him leave.

Once he was gone, Zac just took several breaths as he did his best to compose himself and his feelings but it was hard. It was so fucking hard because Avery was pregnant and having his baby. A baby that he wanted and one he'd get no matter what Taylor tried to do because Taylor was wrong. Zac did get where he was coming from because he did have a woman like Avery...hell he had Avery too.

"I'm going to have a baby though," Zac spoke softly to himself as a smile slowly played on his lips. "I'm going to be a father," he whispered as his smile grew bigger.

Maybe this wasn't exactly in the right order as he had always seen things playing out in his head when it came to that future he had saw with Avery. In that it had been marriage then a baby but Zac would accept a little change of plans. A baby could come first and then marriage. It was still a piece of that future that well up until today, up until finding out that Avery was pregnant with his baby had always seemed like a fantasy, especially these last few months.

But now it wasn't a fantasy, it was slowly becoming reality and he just had to get the girl. He had to win her back even if it meant hurting his own brother.


End file.
